[FooFighter]

Hey guys I just thought I would let you all know that I am going to go look at and hopefully buy my first CRX.

I was just wondering if there is some things that I should check for when I am looking it over/test driving it.

It's a 1987 Honda CRX Si.
Picture here:
http://www.punchbuggies.com/trader/100.jpg

The guy got the car as a trade in and has not done an inspection on it or anything! So it's a wild card. All he has done is drive it around and he says it drives great. BUT I can't take a used car salesmen's word for it can I!

So I was hoping you guys could help me out and kind of give me a checklist of things to look for on the car before I buy it!

 

[Flamegurl]

Listen with the hood open to hear if there are any 'weird' sounds. Ticking or hissing included!
check the rust status, especially above the rear wheels.
Look if there is any liquid in the lights (means you might have to change those)
check if the hood and such are in straight. If there is a way bigger space on the right then on the left (or vice versa) indicates some damage (fixed of course) but it might have an effect on how the car drives.

That is just my little list....

 

[FooFighter]

Yea I think as long as I can test drive it I should be able to see if the car is any good or not!

 

[Dodo]

87, is that carb or fuel injected? Carbs sometime develop a bad vacuum leak that can be hard to find. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[downest]

It's an Si, should be fuel injected. I love the look of the black first gens... and I love those button wheels!

 

[ender_]

i would check for oil leaks around the engine. check if there's smoke coming out of the tailpipe; if it's blue it's burning oil, if it's white it's either moisture or coolant, and if it's black it's just running rich.

check the cv boots for tears. hoses if they're cracking. check for rust! try to check if there are any noticable welds, cause it'll tell you if the car has ever been in an accident before. the serious problems come out while test driving it... try to take your time, at least half an hour while you take it for a spin.

 

[ComposiMo]

I know you're excited, but don't be afraid to walk away from the deal... make sure everything is right, and don't 'settle' for problems just cause you want it, or the price is right... There are always other cars out there, and this is definitely something that you don't want to rush into just for the sake of buying a CRX, or having a car in general.

 

[jmart]

Also, supposing you do really want it, don't show it too much. Look for the imperfections and don't be afraid to respectfully point them out. These can be gargaining points for you to get a lower price. IF you do walk away, the seller may take a lower offer later. Just make sure you are going to be satisfied with the outcome of the purchase.

 

[FooFighter]

Ok well here is how it went:

Ok the first thing I walk in and tell the guy I'm here to look at the crx. The very first thing he says is oh hey did I tell you that it's a write off? So I'm standing there with my mouth open. Thinking to myself ok I just drove two hours and NOW you're telling me this?

So anyways he convinces me that's it's still in "great" condition. So we walk over to look at it...
Good things:
-When I was about 10 feet away from the car it looked pretty sharp I have to say!
The good ends there
The bad:
-The front bumper has been pushed down from hitting something
-The rear bumper is missing brackets on both sides not just the right
-The rear driver's side has been totally smashed in
-There are rust holes all over the damaged spots
-Tires all flat
-Drivers door bent in so the guy couldn't even open it(he never could get the key working to get inside!)
-Looked closer and it was actually a repaint!!!
-It was red then repainted black!
-There was orange peel all over it and it was a terrible paint job at that
-It bad been painted black then stuccoed or something to make it appear metallic (I first noticed that the car had been repainted when I opened the gas cap and was blinded by the red lol!)
-Not a line on the whole car lined up!
-So yea after pointing out every problem on the car to the guy i just walked away and drove off without a word

So yea my first crx experience was not a good one I have to say. But don't worry it's done nothing for my ambition. I was back on auto trader right when I got home looking for another one

If anything this has made me want the car even more!

 

[baker_jeff]

You'll find another one! I'll let you know if I come across any clean ones here in Edmonton.

 

[FooFighter]

K thx man and btw my price range is pretty low
I can only pay up to about $2500 Canadian. But I think you could find a decent first gen for that hey?

 

[ryan_long_01]

-It bad been painted black then stuccoed or something to make it appear metallic (I first noticed that the car had been repainted when I opened the gas cap and was blinded by the red lol!)

Did you just say that the car had been STUCCOED?! LOL, did it look something like this?

How and why in God's name would anyone STUCCO a car, and how in the hell would it make the paint appear metallic?

 

[FooFighter]

No it was like some cheap coating that was like spotted or something. Either way it was a terrible ass repaint!